The Cowboys took Western Kentucky QB Mike White in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. Here are five things to know about White.

The basics

White grew up in Florida and attended NSU University School, and led the school to a 13-0 record and a 3A Florida State title. He was also a 3A second-team selection in Florida by the Associated Press. He also finished fifth in the Florida Dairy Farmer's Mr. Football voting.

Two stops in college

White started his career with the South Florida Bulls. He played immediately as a true freshman in 2013, but struggled and threw for 1,083 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions in six games. He threw for 1,639 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in his sophomore season at USF.

White then transferred to Western Kentucky and turned into a star for the Hilltoppers. He passed for 8,540 yards, 63 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions in two seasons at Western Kentucky.

Used to play baseball

Football wasn't White's first sport. He actually grew up as an elite baseball talent in Florida. He named a Louisville Slugger All-American as a junior in high school. He went 9-2 as a pitcher his junior year with a 0.43 ERA.

The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native was 2 years old when the nearby Florida Marlins made their run to win the 1997 World Series. Moises Alou, Kevin Brown, Charles Johnson - White said his parents told him he could recite every player on the roster.

"That's how big baseball was in my life," White said.

It was at that age, not long after White learned to walk, that he started training to be a baseball player.

"When I was 2 years old my dad would bring me in the backyard and we had these plastic balls and he would write an 'X' or an 'O' on," White said. "He would throw at me and I had to hit it, at 2, and tell him if it was an 'X' or an 'O.'

"I don't know how accurate I was, but I hit it."

White, whose Florida family friends include MLB Hall of Famer Tony Perez, started playing travel baseball at 8 years old. The youngster's life revolved around the bat and the ball.

His new family

White recently got engaged to his girlfriend, according to his Twitter account. The two also have an adorable puppy named Cooper. Pretty good start for White and his young family.

"If you ask me I see myself going No. 1 overall," White said. "That's just sort of the confidence I play with and it's how I was raised. But I just honestly want to go to a good situation I want to go somewhere with a good offense and smart guys around me, with some talented dudes around me. Maybe somewhere I can learn behind a veteran or somewhere I can start Day 1. I'm a competitor and that's what I want to do, compete."

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Can he be the Cowboys' backup?

Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (7) rushes with the ball in the fourth quarter during a National Football League game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Sunday October 22, 2017. Dallas Cowboys beat the 49ers 40-10. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

Cooper Rush was Dak Prescott's primary backup quarterback last season, but White could shake things up. The Cowboys likely won't sign a veteran quarterback and will instead allow Rush and White to compete for the backup quarterback spot. Who has the edge? Here's more from SportsDay's Jon Machota:

"It should be a good battle this offseason through training camp and preseason. If both perform well, the Cowboys could potentially keep three quarterbacks. That's tough to do on a 53-man roster, but the Cowboys could take that gamble if they think both are worthy of the roster spot.

"White is a more gifted passer, but it's hard to argue with what Rush did when given the opportunity in the preseason. A little backup QB battle will at least make those preseason games more interesting."

A perfect situation?

Western Kentucky coach Mike Sanford thinks White landed in a perfect situation, according to WBKO:

"He could not have ended up in a better situation," Sanford said this week about White. "The offensive structure that we run here at Western, that (White) ran in 2017, has a lot of similarities to what the Dallas Cowboys run. The beautiful thing about it all is (Dallas quarterbacks coach) Kellen (Moore) can speak our language perfectly, our verbiage. So Mike White and (Moore) will be on the same page from Day One in terms of defensive identification, how you call routes and almost be a translator into the system they're running at the Dallas Cowboys - which is a great deal for (White).

"I look forward to seeing him battle and get that backup job. It's an opportunity that's there for (White) and that's exactly what we're looking for in a great organization and he got that. Proud of him."

Rare company

White is only the second Western Kentucky quarterback to ever be drafted in the NFL. The first was Brad Doughty, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh-round of the 2016 draft. Doughty is the Hilltoppers' all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, along with a number of other major passing categories.

The steal of the draft?

"Absolutely. I'm a firm believer in identifying a quarterback in the mid-to-late rounds and drafting him if he is available at a certain point in the draft, regardless of what the rest of your roster looks like. It is the most important position on the roster, why not improve it? Why not create competition? It is a lottery ticket. I graded Mike White as a 3rd-4th rounder so I love the value in the 5th round. His feet are clunky and he needs to better navigate around pressure, but he has a NFL arm with the passing instincts and leadership that will appeal to the Dallas coaches. I graded him as a "back up with the potential to be more."

Another Jerry Jones QB

Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer

Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones speaks at a press conference after making their first round pick on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The Cowboys picked linebacker Leighton Vander Esch from Boise State. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

Jerry Jones hasn't used draft picks on quarterbacks very often. White is only the sixth quarterback Jones has drafted in his tenure as the Cowboys' owner. The others are Dak Prescott, Stephen McGee, Quincy Carter, Bill Musgrave and Troy Aikman.